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Town seeks direction for wayfinding signs

The Longboat Key Town Commission must decide at its June 17 regular workshop whether to give businesses the right to advertise their locations on the town’s five new wayfinding signs.

The wayfinding signs were erected last month as part of a $500,000 federal stimulus grant.

The town has used approximately $120,000 to upgrade the two welcome signs at the north and south ends of the Key and $50,000 to upgrade the wayfinding signs that alert motorists to businesses located off Gulf of Mexico Drive. The rest of the money was used for Gulf of Mexico Drive landscaping.

The signs, which sit along Gulf of Mexico Drive at Broadway, the 5000 block of GMD, the 4000 block of GMD, Bay Isles Road and just south of Longboat Club Road, all have eight blank nameplates on them.
The signs have piqued the curiosity of at least two business owners, according to Public Works Director Juan Florensa.

“We believe the commission wants to put generic names on the signs that read Police, Town Hall, etc.,” Florensa said. “But we want to clarify whether we should add generic names like banks, churches or real-estate offices.”

Or, Florensa says, the commission has the option of allowing the names of certain business or churches to be included on the signs.

“We need the commission to tell us what they want,” Florensa said. “It’s up to them to decide if we should remain silent on the businesses that are off the main road.”

Florensa said he also needs direction on how to “divvy up the signs” to businesses if the commission decides to allow their names on the signs.

In a memo Florensa sent to Town Manager Bruce St. Denis dated June 9, Florensa wrote, “Generally, the Florida Department of Transportation requires these types of signs contain only information guiding motorists to public destinations such as parks, libraries, visitor centers, tourist information centers and the like.”

Town staff is suggesting the following names be placed on the town’s five new wayfinding signs: Center for the Arts, Boat Ramp, Beach Access, Police/Fire Rescue, Chamber of Commerce, Town Hall, Joan M. Durante Park, Post Office, Public Tennis Center, Bicentennial Park and Library